Closure for nail polish container or the like



Jan. 17, 1967 M. HUMBLE ET AL 3,298,054

CLOSURE FOR NAIL POLISH CONTAINER OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 26, 1964 IN VEN T0 Rs MAGLENA HiUMBLE JAMES L. MCDONALD ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,298,054 CLOSURE FOR NAIL PULISH CONTAINER OR THE LIKE Maglena Humble, Dayton, Ohio, and James L. McDonaid, 2314 Westport Drive, Dayton, Ohio 454%, as-

signors to James L. McDonald, Dayton, Ohio Filed Oct. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 406,245 4 Claims. (Cl. -521) This invention relates to a closure for a nail polish container or the like, and more particularly, to a closure including a cap and brush assembly wherein the brush is slidably supported within the cap.

Practically every person who has had the occasion to apply nail polish has had to contend with several aggravating and provoking problems. One problem is presented after the bottle has been allowed to stand on the shelf for a period of time allowing the solid pigments in the polish to settle to the bottom of the container which is usually a glass bottle. When this happens, considerable shaking is required to disperse the pigments so that they will again be uniformly suspended throughout the polish. With some polishes, however, such as those having irridescent pigments, after they have remained on the shelf for a period of time it is practically impossible to disperse the pigments by shaking alone. Thus frequently, an attempt is made to stir up the settled pigments with the brush attached rig-idly to the underneath side of the cap by unscrewing the cap and swishing the brush around the inside of the bottle.

However, since the attached brush extends only close to the bottom center of the bottle when the cap is threaded tightly onto the bottle, when the cap is unscrewed, it is impossible for the end of the brush to reach the settled pigments for mixing them. As a result. after such irridescent pigments have once settled, usually the remaining polish in the bottle will be thrown awav with the bottle rather than to continue fighting the problem of dispersing the pigments. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a closure wherein the applicator brush may be extended through the cap after it is unscrewed and thereby enable the brush to be used for reaching all portions of the bottom of the container to stir the pigments into the polish.

Another provoking problem arises with the use of present available nail polish bottles when the cap and attached applicator brush are removed from the bottle. The supporting stern of the brush is usually coated with polish caused by either a relatively full bottle or shaking of the bottle. It is desirable that this polish be removed from the stem to prevent the polish from running down the stem uncontrollably onto the bristles of the brush when the polish is being applied, and thus, the stem is usually scraped along the neck of the bottle. Then too, when the bottle is substantially full, it is difficult to remove the polish from the stern by scraping it along the neck of the bottle since it is necessary to avoid dipping the brush and stem back into the polish. To eliminate this problem of the polish running down the supporting stem of the brush and dripping onto the bristles of the brush during application, the closure of the present invention provides a means for conveniently and quickly wiping the stem so that the polish is directed back into the bottle.

Still another problem which exists with present caps and attached brushes for nail polish bottles is the ditliculty in resting the cap and brush temporarily on the bottle without extending the supporting stem into the polish, especially when the bottle is substantially full. As a result, when the brush is placed back into the bottle and is again withdrawn for applying polish, the stem is coated with polish which should be removed to prevent dripping. The closure of the invention, on the other hand, enables the applicator brush to be adjusted according to the level of 3,298,5l54 Patented Jan. 17, i967 the polish within the bottle and thereby to eliminate the requirement of emersing the stern into the polish. This same adjustable feature also solves another problem. That is, the closure of the invention permits the brush to extend to all portions of the bottle and thus, enables all of the polish to be used. With presently available closures, however, the rigidly attached brushes can not reach the polish remaining in the lower portion of the bottle and consequently, the bottles must be tilted if the remaining portion is to be used, and this occasionally results in spilling polish on the floor.

Accordingly, it is one primary object of the present invention to provide a novel closure: for a container of nail polish or the like, wherein an applicator brush is slidably retained within the cap for the container so that the brush may be used to thoroughly mix the polish and especially, to disperse the pigments settled in the container to a uniform consistency within the polish.

As another object, the present invention provides a novel closure for a container adapted to be filled with nail polish, as described above, wherein the applicator brush includes an elongated stem slidably mounted within the cap and tightly sealed therewith to prevent evaporation of the volatile materials within the polish in addition to serving as a wiper for quickly removing the polishfrom the stern.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure as described above with a resilient seal which tightly engages the peripheral surface of the brush stem and cooperates therewith to retain the applicator brush in a preset position according to the level of the polish within the container.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a closure for a container of nail polish, wherein means are provided for slidably retaining an applicator brush by a reliable and dependable seal which prevents leakage of the polish around the brush and is further adapted for economical manufacturing.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means associated with the applicator brush which cooperates with the cap to provide a series of detents for selectively positioning the brush withinthe cap.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawing and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a nail polish container having a closure constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational section View of the container shown in FIG. 1 and illustrating the position of the applicator brush in relation to the cap for tho-roughly mix-.

ing and stirring the polish and also for collecting the last portion of the polish remaining in the container;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational section view of a closure formed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention and showing a fragment of an attached bottle; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational section view of a closure formed according to another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, which illustrates preferred embodiments of the present invention, a typical nail polish container 18' is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and is usual- I y in the form of a glass bottle wherein the lower portion 12. is substantially larger than the upper round neck portion 14 on which the external threads 16 are formed. The central opening 18 defined by the neck portion 14 is relatively small to minimize the extent of evaporation of the volatile materials contained within the nail polish after the cap It) has been removed. Preferably, the cap 20 is formed from a suitable plastic material which provides substantial rigidity and is chemically inert to the components of the polish within the container 10.

Centrally spaced within the cap and slidably mounted therein is an applicator brush including the bristles 27 supported by an elongated round stem 28. The stem 28 is also formed from a suitable plastic material which is chemically inert to the components of the polish and preferably has a diameter substantially smaller than the opening 18 within the neck portion 14- and a length subst-antially greater than the height of the container 10 to permit the brush 25 to extend when the cap is removed, through the small opening 18 within the neck portion 14 in a diagonal direction (FIG. 2) which permits the bristles 27 to reach the inside periphery of the bottom of the container 10. As a result, the brush 25 can be used as a stirring member to disperse the pigments which eventually settle in the bottom of the container. Furthermore, the brush 25 can be used to collect the last portion of the polish which remains in the container and which is frequently thrown away because it is too awkward and difficult to collect.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cap 20 includes internally formed threads 30 which receive in the usual manner the threads 16 formed on the neck 14 of the container It) to secure the cap 20 tightly to the container. Also formed within the cap 2%) at the top of the threads 30 is a counterbore 32 defining a shoulder 33 which cooperates with the elongated cylindrical chamber 35 to receive as an insert a round tubular support and sealing member 38 having an external flange 4t adapted to seat within the counterbore 32. The tubular support and sealing member 38 defines a centrally spaced elongated cylindrical opening 42 in which the stem 28 of the brush 25 is slidably supported. In addition, the chamber 35 converges towards the top where an opening 45 is formed within the cap 20 and having a diameter substantially the same as the opening 42. As shown in FIG. 3, the opening 45 cooperates with the elongated opening 42 to maintain the desired central alignment of the stem 28 and thereby prevents the brush 25 from being canted within the cap 20 when the brush is moved.

Extending from the bottom of the tubular support and sealing member 33 is a tapered converging portion 47 which has a generally conical shaped exterior surface and which projects slightly inwardly at the bottom to define a lip seal St? which engages firmly the peripheral circumferential surface of the stem ES of the brush 25. Preferably, the tubular member 38 is formed from a suitable thermoplastic material, as {or example, polyethylene, polypropylene, or nylon so that inherent resiliency is provided within the converging portion 47 and within the lip seal Stl to provide for a firm peripheral engagement of the stem 28 as the brush 25 is extended longitudinally within the cap 20. It is to be understood, however, that the tubular member 38 may also be formed from other resilient materials, as for example, a synthetic rubber compound. As mentioned above, the lip seal 50 serves several functions. First, it cooperates with the annular seal formed between the resilient bottom 52 of the flange 40 and the top of the neck portion 14 of the container 10 to prevent seepage of the nail polish in case the container 10 should be layed on its side or inverted for a period of time. The seal it) also serves to prevent the volatile materials within the polish from evaporating after the cap 20 has been secured tightly to the container lltl.

As another feature, the resiliency of the lip seal 5t? enables the seal to cooperate with the series of successive :annular impressions 53 formed along the stem 28 to define a series of detents to retain the stem 28 according to the desired longitudinal spacing of the brush 25 within the cap 29. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the brush 25 can be easily positioned according to the level of the polish within the container whereby only the bristles 27 are submerged within the polish to prevent the bristles from being exposed to the air within the upper portion of the container causing the polish to dry and harden on the bristles when the container and enclosed polish are in storage. Furthermore, by adjusting the brush 25 so that the bottom of the stem 28 is positioned at the level of the polish within the container 10, the polish can be stored without the stem 28 being in contact with the polish. This eliminates the slow drying of the polish on the stem 28 during the time the container of polish is in storage.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the lip seal 50 also serves as a wiper for the stem 28 to remove any polish which adheres to the stem after the brush 25 has been used to stir the polish or the container has been shaken. In this manner, all of the polish can be removed from the stern prior to applying the polish and thereby eliminate the excess polish which normally runs uncontrollably down the stem and onto the bristles 27 while the polish is being applied.

Another embodiment of the closure according to the present invention is shown in the enlarged view of 4. Here the cap 55 and converging portion 57, which defines at its bottom the inwardly projecting lip seal 59, are integrally formed from the same resilient material, as for example, one of the thermoplastic materials mentioned above for the tubular member 38 (FIG. 3). The cylindrical opening 61 centrally spaced within the cap 55 serves to slidably support the smooth cylindrical stem 62 of the brush 65. It also can be seen that the seat 67 which engages the top surface of the neck portion 14 of the container 10 is formed as an integral part of' the cap 55 and thereby the separate tubular support and seal member 38 (FIG. 3) is eliminated. Further-more, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the annular impressions 53 (FIG. 3) have been removed from the stern 62 so that the retaining of the brush 65 depends solely upon the firm resilient engagement between the lip seal 59 and the smooth cylindrical surface of the stem 62.

From the drawing and the above description, it becomes apparent that a closure formed according to the invention provides several features which, in turn, co-' operate to provide for more convenient application of nail polish. For example, the polish can be more'easily mixed whereby the settled pigments at the bottom of the container are uniformly dispersed throughout the polish. Furthermore, the long slender extendable brush enables the collection of all the polish remaining in the container and thereby eliminates the usual disposing ofthe container with polish remaining in the bottom portion.

Another feature is the resilient plastic lip seal of the closure which provides a dependable seal to prevent the polish from seeping out and the volatile material within the polish from escaping. Also, since the resilient lip seal firmly engages the circumferential surface of the brush stem it serves as an effective wiper to clean the stem and thus, to eliminate uncontrollable dripping from the stem onto the bristles in additilon to enabling the stem to be gripped by the fingers without getting polish on the fingers. As an additional feature, the closure provides a detent means for retaining the brush within the cap so that incremental longitudinal spacing of the brush can be made within the cap according to the level of the polish within the container.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may be iade therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A closure for a container having a neck defining an opening, comprising a cap having means defining an opening centrally spaced therein, means for removably attaching and sealing the cap to said container, an applicator brush including an elon ated stem slidably supported within said opening defined by said cap, said stem having an outer peripheral surface with a diameter substantially smaller than said opening within said neck and said brush having a length substantially greater than the height of said container to provide for extending said brush diagonally through said opening Within said neck when said cap is removed to reach the inside periphery of the bottom of the container, and a combined seal and stem wiper including a resilient generally tubular portion supported and carried by said cap in axial alignment With said opening and projecting downwardly therefrom Within said cap and terminating in a circumferential lip engaging said peripheral surface of said stem.

2. A closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said cap includes means forming an annular internal shoulder, said combined seal and stem Wiper removably mounted Within said cap and including an outwardly projecting peripheral flange adapted to be pressed against said shoulder by said neck of said container when said cap is assembled on said container.

3. A closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said com- 6 bined seal and stem Wiper is formed as an integral part of said cap.

4. A closure as defined in claim 1 including a series of annular impressions formed in a successive manner along said stem for receiving the: resilient said lip and cooperating therewith for producing a corresponding series of detents.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 8,265 3/1869 Bly 15-610 2,517,663 8/1950 Hendry et al. 15-610 2,627,619 2/1953 Gagen 15521 X 2,644,183 7/1953 Kellett 15521 X 2,736,050 2/1956 Lee 15-521 3,157,905 11/1964 Levy 15-610 X CHARLES A. WIiLLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

S. E. BECK, Assistant'Examiner. 

1. A CLOSURE FOR A CONTAINER HAVING A NECK DEFINING AN OPENING, COMPRISING A CAP HAVING MEANS DEFINING AN OPENING CENTRALLY SPACED THEREIN, MEANS FOR REMOVABLY ATTACHING AND SEALING THE CAP TO SAID CONTAINER, AN APPLICATOR BRUSH INCLUDING AN ELONGATED STEM SLIDABLY SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID OPENING DEFINED BY SAID CAP, SAID STEM HAVING AN OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACE WITH A DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN SAID OPENING WITHIN SAID NECK AND SAID BRUSH HAVING A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE HEIGHT OF SAID CONTAINER TO PROVIDE FOR EXTENDING SAID BRUSH DIAGONALLY THROUGH SAID OPENING WITHIN SAID NECK WHEN SAID CAP IS REMOVED TO REACH THE INSIDE PERIPHERY OF THE BOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER, AND A COMBINED SEAL AND STEM WIPER INCLUDING A RESILIENT GENERALLY TUBULAR PORTION SUPPORTED AND CARRIED BY SAID CAP IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID OPENING AND PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM WITHIN SAID CAP AND TERMINATING IN A CIRCUMFERENTIAL LIP ENGAGING SAID PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID STEM. 